What does gradgrind mean? This page provides all possible meanings and translations of the word gradgrind Wiktionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: gradgrind(Noun) One who relies solely on scientific measurements and observable facts without taking human nature into consideration. Origin: Thomas Gradgrind, a pedantic teacher in Dickens' Hard Times. Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Gradgrind Mr Thomas Gradgrind is the notorious headmaster in Dickens's novel Hard Times who is dedicated to the pursuit of profitable enterprise. His name is now used generically to refer to someone who is hard and only concerned with cold facts and numbers. Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Gradgrind gräd′grīnd, n. one who regulates all human things by rule and compass and the mechanical application of statistics, allowing nothing for sentiment, emotion, and individuality.

[From Thomas Gradgrind in Dickens's Hard Times.] The Nuttall Encyclopedia(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition: Gradgrind a character in "Hard Times," who weighs and measures everything by a hard and fast rule and makes no allowances. Numerology The numerical value of gradgrind in Chaldean Numerology is: 7 Pythagorean Numerology Charles Dickens – Namedroppings. By namedropper In Uncategorized 2 Comments It was one character, Sam Weller, who made Charles Dickens famous. Dickens’ first novel, The Pickwick Papers, was written in serial form and, by all accounts, the early installments weren’t doing so well. Weller arrives on the scene in chapter 10 and transforms the story. The relationship between the idealistic and unworldly Pickwick and the astute, street smart Weller has been likened to that between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. The Pickwick Papers went on to become the first modern publishing phenomenon, spawning bootleg copies, theatrical performances, Sam Weller joke books, and other merchandize that today would be regarded as classic branding. This extraordinary ability to characterize was Dickens’ real genius.

Sharp depiction of the eccentricities and personality traits of characters was distilled into caricature and then given names so perfectly apposite they became defining personality terms. We all know what a Scrooge is, for example. Dickens is reckoned to have created and named 989 such characters during his career. In honor of his two-hundredth birthday today here’s a few personal favorites. Gradgrind (Hard Times) Thomas Gradgrind is the notorious headmaster who is dedicated to the pursuit of profitable enterprise. His name is now used to refer to someone who is hard and only concerned with cold facts and numbers. Bounderby (Hard Times) Josiah Bounderby is a business associate of Gradgrind. Given to boasting about being a self-made man, he is loud, obnoxious, completely self-centered, and the novel’s most snobby and status-obsessed character. He marries Mr. Gradgrind’s daughter Louisa, some 30 years his junior, in what turns out to be a loveless marriage. They have no children. Bounderby is callous, self-centred and ultimately revealed to be a liar and fraud. An utter bounder.

Dick Swiveller (The Old Curiosity Shop) Though the name sounds a little sinister, Dick Swiveller is not a villain. Swiveller wants to marry the lovely Nell Trent but ends up with the Marchioness instead. He and the Marchioness expose the evil Brasses, Swiveller inherits money from his aunt, and the couple live happily ever after. Harold Skimpole (Bleak House) The obnoxious and manipulative Skimpole presents himself as a naïve man of childlike innocence. He claims he knows nothing about money management and uses it as an excuse to never pay for anything. Some claim Dickens modeled him after Leigh Hunt, another writer of the time, which, not surprisingly, caused a bit of animosity. Sloppy (Our Mutual Friend) One of Dickens’s many orphan characters, Sloppy lives with Betty Higden and is taken in by the Boffin family. The noble Sloppy later has a hand in exposing nasty Silas Wegg. Wopsle (Great Expectations) Wopsle is a parish clerk when we meet him in this classic story, but he doesn’t stay one for long.

Choosing to become an actor, he changes his name to Waldengarver. Polly Toodle (Dombey and Son) Polly Toodle is Little Paul Dombey’s nurse who gets fired after taking him to visit her dingy apartment in London’s poorest area. Polly is a ray of hope in the face of poverty and hardship. The Squeers (Nicholas Nickleby) Wackford Squeers is the patriarch of this conniving, weasel-like pack. The Squeers run Dotheboys Hall, an orphanage for unwanted boys whom they mistreat horribly. Daughter Fanny, son Wackford, Jr., and the missus are each more cruel than the last. Luke Honeythunder (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) Here’s a name to conjure with. Luke Honeythunder is the boisterous and overbearing philanthropist and the guardian of Neville and Helena Landless. Tulkinghorn (Bleak House) This unscrupulous lawyer to the Dedlock family learns of Lady Dedlock’s secret past and tries to take advantage of it. It doesn’t end well for him — he is eventually murdered by her maid.

Bumble (Oliver Twist) A petty parish beadle in the workhouse where Oliver spends much of his time, Bumble symbolizes Dickens’s contempt for the workhouse system. Paul Sweedlepipe (Martin Chuzzlewit) An eccentric barber, landlord, and bird lover, this character later inspired A Christmas Carol. Themes of greed and false honor run through Martin Chuzzlewit and also appear in the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, published the following year. Smike (Nicholas Nickleby) Smike is rescued by Nicholas Nickleby from the evil Squeers. Smike turns out to be Nickleby’s cousin, unfortunately a discovery made after Smike dies from the Squeers’ cruelty. Mr. Sowerberry (Oliver Twist) As his name sounds, Sowerberry is a bitter and cruel undertaker who mistreats young Oliver before he escapes and runs away to London. Uriah Heep (David Copperfield) Uriah Heep, the ‘humble’ antagonist of this novel, is one of literature’s most celebrated villains. Scheming and hypocritical, he plans to ruin Copperfield’s friend Agnes Wickfield but is ultimately undone by Mr. Micawber.

Pumblechook (Great Expectations) The great expectations of Pip, the main character and another Dickensian orphan, come from this rotund, loud-breathing guardian who takes Pip to wealthy and eccentric spinster Miss Havisham. John Podsnap (Our Mutual Friend) Dickens coined the term “podsnappery” to describe middle-class pomp and complacency. John Podsnap embodied this undesirable trait. Apparently, he was modeled after Dickens’s first biographer, John Forster. The naming genius of Charles Dickens – Namedroppings. The naming genius of Charles Dickens On May 4, 2014 By namedropper In Uncategorized It was one character, Sam Weller, who made Charles Dickens famous. Dickens’ first novel, The Pickwick Papers, was written in serial form and, by all accounts, the early installments weren’t doing so well. Weller arrives on the scene in chapter 10 and transforms the story. The relationship between the idealistic and unworldly Pickwick and the astute, street smart Weller has been likened to that between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.

The Pickwick Papers went on to become the first modern publishing phenomenon, spawning bootleg copies, theatrical performances, Sam Weller joke books, and other merchandize that today would be regarded as classic branding. This extraordinary ability to characterize was Dickens’ real genius. Sharp depiction of the eccentricities and personality traits of characters was distilled into caricature and then given names so perfectly apposite they became defining personality terms. We all know what a Scrooge is, for example. Dickens is reckoned to have created and named 989 such characters during his career. In honor of his two-hundredth birthday today here’s a few personal favorites. Gradgrind (Hard Times) Thomas Gradgrind is the notorious headmaster who is dedicated to the pursuit of profitable enterprise. His name is now used to refer to someone who is hard and only concerned with cold facts and numbers. Bounderby (Hard Times) Josiah Bounderby is a business associate of Gradgrind. Given to boasting about being a self-made man, he is loud, obnoxious, completely self-centered, and the novel’s most snobby and status-obsessed character. He marries Mr.

Gradgrind’s daughter Louisa, some 30 years his junior, in what turns out to be a loveless marriage. They have no children. Bounderby is callous, self-centred and ultimately revealed to be a liar and fraud. An utter bounder. Dick Swiveller (The Old Curiosity Shop) Though the name sounds a little sinister, Dick Swiveller is not a villain. Swiveller wants to marry the lovely Nell Trent but ends up with the Marchioness instead. He and the Marchioness expose the evil Brasses, Swiveller inherits money from his aunt, and the couple live happily ever after. Harold Skimpole (Bleak House) The obnoxious and manipulative Skimpole presents himself as a naïve man of childlike innocence. He claims he knows nothing about money management and uses it as an excuse to never pay for anything. Some claim Dickens modeled him after Leigh Hunt, another writer of the time, which, not surprisingly, caused a bit of animosity. Sloppy (Our Mutual Friend) One of Dickens’s many orphan characters, Sloppy lives with Betty Higden and is taken in by the Boffin family.

The noble Sloppy later has a hand in exposing nasty Silas Wegg. Wopsle (Great Expectations) Wopsle is a parish clerk when we meet him in this classic story, but he doesn’t stay one for long. Choosing to become an actor, he changes his name to Waldengarver. Polly Toodle (Dombey and Son) Polly Toodle is Little Paul Dombey’s nurse who gets fired after taking him to visit her dingy apartment in London’s poorest area. Polly is a ray of hope in the face of poverty and hardship. The Squeers (Nicholas Nickleby) Wackford Squeers is the patriarch of this conniving, weasel-like pack. The Squeers run Dotheboys Hall, an orphanage for unwanted boys whom they mistreat horribly. Daughter Fanny, son Wackford, Jr., and the missus are each more cruel than the last. Luke Honeythunder (The Mystery of Edwin Drood) Here’s a name to conjure with. Luke Honeythunder is the boisterous and overbearing philanthropist and the guardian of Neville and Helena Landless.

Tulkinghorn (Bleak House) This unscrupulous lawyer to the Dedlock family learns of Lady Dedlock’s secret past and tries to take advantage of it. It doesn’t end well for him — he is eventually murdered by her maid. Bumble (Oliver Twist) A petty parish beadle in the workhouse where Oliver spends much of his time, Bumble symbolizes Dickens’s contempt for the workhouse system. Paul Sweedlepipe (Martin Chuzzlewit) An eccentric barber, landlord, and bird lover, this character later inspired A Christmas Carol. Themes of greed and false honor run through Martin Chuzzlewit and also appear in the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, published the following year. Smike (Nicholas Nickleby) Smike is rescued by Nicholas Nickleby from the evil Squeers. Smike turns out to be Nickleby’s cousin, unfortunately a discovery made after Smike dies from the Squeers’ cruelty. Mr. Sowerberry (Oliver Twist) As his name sounds, Sowerberry is a bitter and cruel undertaker who mistreats young Oliver before he escapes and runs away to London.

Uriah Heep (David Copperfield) Uriah Heep, the ‘humble’ antagonist of this novel, is one of literature’s most celebrated villains. Scheming and hypocritical, he plans to ruin Copperfield’s friend Agnes Wickfield but is ultimately undone by Mr. Micawber. Pumblechook (Great Expectations) The great expectations of Pip, the main character and another Dickensian orphan, come from this rotund, loud-breathing guardian who takes Pip to wealthy and eccentric spinster Miss Havisham. John Podsnap (Our Mutual Friend) Dickens coined the term “podsnappery” to describe middle-class pomp and complacency. John Podsnap embodied this undesirable trait. Apparently, he was modeled after Dickens’s first biographer, John Forster. 'From Gradgrind to Graphene' | The Mancunion Photo: The Mancunion “Manchester is bolshie. Manchester’s noisy, opinionated, tough.” Professor Jeanette Winterson could easily have been talking about herself rather than the city in which she was born. Her passionate, fiery and strongly thought-provoking Foundation Day Lecture was fitting of a place that has always encouraged boldness and self-assurance.

A Mancunian by birth, but, based on this talk, also by spirit, mentality and values. ‘Manchester: from Gradgrind to Graphene’ was the name of the lecture. Two words, both beginning with the letter ‘g’—one that represents everything the city stands for, the other the complete opposite. Prof. Winterson delivered a captivating talk, taking the audience on a whirlwind tour of the radical history of both the city and the university. This was a powerful lesson on what defines Manchester. Not United or City. Not Oasis or the Stone Roses. Manchester is about imagination and creativity. Manchester is about equality and freedom. And perhaps most importantly, Manchester is about values and vision. Prior to calling Professor Winterson to the stage, Dame Nancy Rothwell opened proceedings. She proudly spoke of how far the university has come since its formation in its current form ten years ago. A short video followed, in which various members of the academic community here at Manchester spoke about what the university means to them. Professor Brian Cox described it as “a place where you can wander through knowledge.” “It’s progressive, egalitarian, humanistic and inventive,” said the Manchester-born Professor and TV personality Michael Wood.

Finally, it was Professor Winterson’s turn to take to the stage. She began by stating that she was going to time travel, “to see where we were, to think about where we are, and to imagine where we might be.” Her first destination was the year 1824, the location being the Bridgewater Arms, a pub in the city centre. It was here that a meeting of a group of local businessmen resulted in the formation of a mechanics institute. It proved to be a huge success. Prof. Winterson moved onto the next key moment in the University of Manchester’s history. It came in 1846, when a cotton merchant named John Owens left a sum of roughly £100000 to set up a college in his name. This college would have no religious affiliation, nor would it be exclusive to the very wealthy. No attention was paid to anyone’s place on the social ladder. “That’s the Manchester egalitarian spirit at work,” stated Prof Winterson. But this wasn’t the first time such a thing had occurred in the city. Three centuries earlier, Manchester Grammar School had been founded on the same principles.

Pupils were admitted based on their academic ability, regardless of their rank in society. This is the Manchester way. In this university, and indeed this city, everyone is encouraged to learn. People are given the freedom to discover their own place in the world, rather than be told it. Dreaming big is another Mancunian characteristic and Owens College epitomised this when they sought university status in the 1870s. They were widely mocked and ridiculed throughout the country for this, with The Times concluding that “anyone educated in Manchester would certainly be dull and probably vicious!” Looking at where the University of Manchester is now, I think we can all afford a wry smile. Then, it was time to bring the first titular ‘g’ word into the equation. Mr Thomas Gradgrind—the archetypal Dickensian villain. The notorious headmaster is the main antagonist in Charles Dickens’ tenth novel, Hard Times. In the book, Gradgrind is a keen advocate of the factory-line model of education. He views his pupils as nothing more than pitchers that he can fill up with facts and statistics, then send out into the world to make money.

In his eyes, finance comes first, and any form of imagination is a direct hindrance to this pursuit of profit. Prof Winterson described him as a “reverse Rumpelstiltskin, spinning the reckless and unknown golden possibilities of his pupils into the same old useful straw.” The ethos of Manchester couldn’t be further from the values and beliefs that Gradgrind tries to instil into his students. “Creativity is a way of life,” said Prof Winterson. “It’s the human condition.” “Play is how every child starts in life and how every good idea is born.” The second ‘g’ word was then introduced. Graphene—Manchester’s favourite and most famous super-material, which saw Professors Geim and Novoselov awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Unlike Gradgrind, graphene is a perfect illustration of Mancunian ingenuity and inventiveness. It was discovered, by Geim and Novoselov’s own admission, as a result of “mucking around in a lab.” It was a triumph for imagination. A triumph for curiosity. And a triumph for the values that define Manchester. “If you can’t play, you can’t imagine,” stated Prof.

Winterson. “And if you can’t imagine, you can’t create. Creativity, in different doses and dilutions, belongs to us all.” Perhaps the most important part of Manchester’s history was the Industrial Revolution, and this was the topic that Winterson turned to next. From an economic perspective, it transformed the city into the modern powerhouse that it is today. But in social terms, the effects weren’t quite so glorious. “It made humans miserable in an entirely new way,” she explained, “by taking away their humanity.” People were simply viewed as hands that could operate machines. In Gradgrind’s eyes, a utopian paradise. The mills and factories propelled the city to the forefront of modern Britain, but repressed the iconic Mancunian spirit. People worked for up to 14 hours a day, six days a week. There was no room for creativity or thinking, just the same procedure of mind-numbing activity in a bid to produce as much cotton as possible. Charles Dickens had a love/hate relationship with Manchester. “That’s normal,” remarked Prof Winterson. He was both disgusted and mesmerised by the endless rows of mills, bellowing vapours out high above the city’s skyline.

Although he may have found it hard to believe when he first visited, Dickens shared the suppressed values held by every Mancunian. “He believed in the soul of the working man and woman, the imagination of the working man and woman,” explained Prof Winterson. In the same way, Manchester believes in the soul of every resident. The university believes in the soul of every student. Manchester is a city of firsts. The first true canal in England opened here in 1761. The first passenger railway terminal at Liverpool Road allowed workers to travel. The first steam-powered mill. The first free school. The first public library for scholars. The list goes on. “We’re still carbon-based humans in a silicon world,” said Prof. Winterson. “And soon, a graphene world.” Moving back onto the second ‘g’ word, she said, “Manchester is on the cusp of a new identity. Graphene will alter the fortunes of this restless, changing city once again.” It appears that a second Industrial Revolution is on its way. And what a revolution it promises to be. Prof. Winterson then journeyed further back in time, to 1301, when the town received its charter.

Even back then, Manchester was at the forefront of equality. Most medieval settlements had restrictions on upstart entrepreneurs, but not this town. Here, anyone was allowed to do business. More of Manchester’s radical history was brought to the attention of the captivated audience. She spoke about the infamous Peterloo massacre of 1819, when Tory militia charged into a huge crowd of people demanding the reform of parliamentary representation, killing 15. The creation of the Free Trade Hall, which, in the words of Prof. Winterson, is “the only building in England to be named after a principle,” was another important moment in the city’s rich history. The Guardian was founded here, and the values that it still holds today remain synonymous with those of the city. “The Guardian has always been a campaigning newspaper,” she emphasised. “Whatever your politics, you should be proud that Manchester, and only Manchester, has produced a world-class news media that has never been bought out or bought off.” Perhaps the truest embodiment of the Mancunian spirit was displayed during the height of the slave trade in the United States. Manchester workers deeply opposed slavery, despite the fact that their living and working conditions during the Industrial Revolution were no better.

The mill owners weren’t particularly bothered about all this. Through their Gradgrind-tinted glasses, all that mattered was that they got their cotton. They weren’t true Mancunians though. The real Mancunians were the workers. In 1862, they staged a huge anti-slavery demonstration at the Free Trade Hall. The protest struck a chord with our friends across the Atlantic. Lincoln himself wrote a letter to the people of Manchester, thanking them for their efforts. Politics formed a key part of both the talk and the Q&A session that followed. At times it almost felt like a rally, with Professor Winterson delivering a passionate warning against austerity and the far-right. She spoke of her fear that her beloved North West might fall into the hands of UKIP and throughout the lecture she slipped in a few clever digs at the likes of Farage. “We can’t give up on politics, especially not here, in Manchester, with our history,” she warned. “Manchester is a fighting town.” As a native of a Labour stronghold, Professor Winterson didn’t hold back with her views of Conservatism. A few less than complimentary remarks about the Thatcher years were included in the lecture, most of them deliberately unsubtle.

There was a moment in the Q&A session where someone suggested that Manchester should identify itself with more capitalistic views, in addition to its traditional left-wing values. Her response was fiery, mesmerising and nothing short of majestic—it was almost a rallying cry for a new socialism. Lastly, Professor Winterson spoke about the role of universities in Britain’s future. “Universities are places of enquiry,” she stated. “Universities do much more than supply the labour market with graduates. “Universities are in the business of creating futures, all kinds of possible futures, through innovation and human capital.” Her stirring words were a stark reminder of the university’s responsibility to encourage its students to think for themselves. “Politics is too important to be left to politicians,” she stated. Professor Winterson concluded her outstanding talk by declaring that Manchester could and should be at the forefront, but only if it stuck to its core values. “Don’t let it just be about money,” she warned. “Let it be about values. Manchester’s always been about values and vision.” I left the room proud to be studying at this great university and living in this great city.

Although not a Mancunian by birth, I’d like to think that I share the beliefs and values that make this place so special. On the day of the historic royal visit we got student views on the monarchy 16th October 2014 To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the University of Manchester, students are encouraged to be a part of the legacy of generosity at the university 21st September 2013 If you thought the rainy city didn’t have much to offer in terms of literature, think again. Manchester has inspired generations of great writers and is now home to a vibrant literary scene. 3rd December 2014 Between 22nd and 26th June 2015, The University of Manchester will host Graphene Week 2015.

For this occasion, the £61 million National Graphene Institute (NGI) at the university will open […] 11th May 2015 Enjoy a unique and experimental cultural experience at Manchester Central Library this May, bringing together inspiration and innovation in the name of the city's past and present 15th February 2016 The University’s multi-million pound Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre has been granted planning permission by Manchester City Council 6th June 2016 For its successes in Materials research, the University of Manchester has been awarded one of 12 Regius Professorships to celebrate the Queen's 90th birthday 27th March 2015 Research by a team from the University of Manchester has shown that graphene can be used to target and neutralise cancer stem cells 24th October 2015 Allie Liu reports on Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the University of Manchester's Graphene centre 11th September 2014 Hard Times by Dickens - AbeBooks Hard Times by Dickens Results (1 - 30) of 366 1 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: 1961. Mass Market Paperback.

Book Condition: Good. A bit scuffed but all pages intact and legible. Good reading copy. Clean. Store Stamped. --- --- In the persons of Gradgrind and Bounderby, Dickens stigmatized the prevalent philosophy of utilitarianism which, whether in school or factory, allowed human beings to be caged in a dreary scenery of brick terraces and foul chimneys, to be enslaved to machines and reduced to numbers. . . Bookseller Inventory # 15512 ISBN 10: 0140620443 ISBN 13: 9780140620443 Used PAPERBACK Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Penguin Books. PAPERBACK. Book Condition: Very Good. 0140620443 Shelf wear. No spine creases. Toning to page edges. Pages unmarked. Binding tight **Tracking on all US orders**Most orders shipped within 24 hours**Insurance to all orders over $50**.

Bookseller Inventory # SKU1031538 ISBN 10: 1853262323 ISBN 13: 9781853262326 New Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Paperback. Book Condition: New. Not Signed; Introduction and Notes by Dinny Thorold, University of Westminster. Illustrated by F. Walker and Maurice Greiffenhagen. Unusually for Dickens, Hard Times is set, not in London, but in the imaginary mid-Victorian Northern industrial town of Coketown with its blackened factories, downtrodden workers a. book. Bookseller Inventory # ria9781853262326_rkm Published by Penguin, London (2010) Used Paperback Dickens, Charles; Ford, George; Monod, Sylvere (Editors) Published by Watermill Press, Mahwah, New Jersey, U.S.A.

(1988) ISBN 10: 0816714630 ISBN 13: 9780816714636 Used Mass Market Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Watermill Press, Mahwah, New Jersey, U.S.A., 1988. Mass Market Paperback. Book Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Jones, Jan (Cover Illustration) (illustrator). 4¼"x7"; 313 pages; The binding and pages are clean, tight and square. There is no underlining, highlighting or margin notes. A used copy with normal reading wear. If you order multiple titles, I will combine them in order to reduce postage costs. If you have any questions, contact me before ordering for details. Bookseller Inventory # 006022 HARD TIMES Dickens, Charles Published by (Some 40+ other books by this author available.)) Paperback.

Postage is reduced on multiple orders.> Penguin rpt.1987 (1987) Used ISBN 10: 0007449941 ISBN 13: 9780007449941 New Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Paperback. Book Condition: New. Not Signed; HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. 'It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood, it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage.' Set in. book. Bookseller Inventory # ria9780007449941_rkm ISBN 10: 1853262323 ISBN 13: 9781853262326 Used Softcover Used Mass Market Paperback First Edition Quantity Available: 1 Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Signet, 1961. Mass Market Paperback. Book Condition: Used: Acceptable. First Edition.

HARD TIMES by Charles Dickens. Signet, 1961. Binding: Mass Market Paperback Dust Jacket: No jacket. NOTES: Stated first printing. Showing exterior wear/creasing, overall clean and tightImages available upon request. Fast shipping, your satisfaction is guaranteed. Please email us with any questions. Bookseller Inventory # 007914 Dickens, Charles Published by (Some 40+ other books by this author available.)) A paperback book. Daily shipping.> Penguin rpt.N/D Used HARD TIMES Dickens, Charles Published by (Some 40+ other books by this author available.)) Paperback. Postage is reduced on multiple orders.> Wordsworth 1995 (1995) Used ISBN 10: 3895082295 ISBN 13: 9783895082290 Used Hardcover ISBN 10: 0140430423 ISBN 13: 9780140430424 Used Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Penguin, 1970. Paperback. Book Condition: AVERAGE.

Paperback; English language; a fair reading copy. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. For buyers outside the UK we now offer significantly lower rates on our airmail shipping. Bookseller Inventory # 07461kew021 ISBN 10: 1853262323 ISBN 13: 9781853262326 Used Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Wordsworth Editions, 1995. Paperback. Book Condition: AVERAGE. Paperback; English language; a fair reading copy. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. For buyers outside the UK we now offer significantly lower rates on our airmail shipping. Bookseller Inventory # 08188joy011 HARD TIMES Dickens, Charles Published by (Some 40+ other books by this author available.)) Paperback.

Reduced postage on multiple orders.> Penguin rpt.1999 (318pp) (1999) Used ISBN 10: 0140241655 ISBN 13: 9780140241655 Used Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Penguin, 1994. Paperback. Book Condition: AVERAGE. Paperback; English language; a fair reading copy. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. For buyers outside the UK we now offer significantly lower rates on our airmail shipping. Bookseller Inventory # 05149cbr028 ISBN 10: 0749307617 ISBN 13: 9780749307615 Used Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Mandarin, 1991. Paperback. Book Condition: AVERAGE. Paperback; English language; a fair reading copy. Your book will be securely packed and promptly dispatched from our UK warehouse. For buyers outside the UK we now offer significantly lower rates on our airmail shipping.

Bookseller Inventory # 07867gae014 ISBN 10: 0816714630 ISBN 13: 9780816714636 Used Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Watermill Classic, Mahwah, NJ, 1988. Paperback. Book Condition: Near Fine. Book is Near Fine. Clean and unmarked text. Tight and sturdy binding. Very slight front cover bottom edge wear. Very light front cover bottom corner bump. Very slight and tiny bump back cover bottom edge. Light page edge tanning. ; Mass Market PB; 313 pages. Bookseller Inventory # 3228 Barbour & Company; Inc; Charles Dickens Published by Longmeadow Pr (1994) ISBN 10: 0681007761 ISBN 13: 9780681007765 Used Paperback Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: Longmeadow Pr, 1994. Paperback. Book Condition: Used: Very Good. 1st Longmeadow Press.

Full number line, An very good unmarked and appears unread copy with light wear and tight/square binding, no spine creasing, some light creasing to front cover and corners, light page edge tanning.100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!.You Like It Or Your Money Back!.In Stock and Ready To Ship With Tracking From Florida Within 1 Business Day!.All Items Carefully Packaged With Cardboard/Bubble Wrap. Bookseller Inventory # SKU0015902 Published by John W. Lovell, New York Used Hardcover Destination, Rates & Speeds Item Description: John W. Lovell, New York. Cloth. Book Condition: Poor. No Jacket. Frontispiece (illustrator). 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Maroon hard boards, spine faded, gold gilt lettering still readable, tips and spine ends bumped, some staining and shelf rubs, front cover off the spine and first couple of leafs are loose. Just a bit of markings inside, leafs are aged and there are some turned corners, still a readable copy, no date, late 1800's or early 1900's.

Bookseller Inventory # 008742 Dickens Champions: Mitchell... | News | RGfE Home / News / Dickens Champions: Mitchell... Dickens Champions: Mitchell Classics Book Group on Hard Times Our Dickens Champions, the Mitchell Classics Book Group , have been reading Hard Times. Three members of the group decided to write their own reviews, all considering the social commentary of the book. Here’s what they thought: Anne Marie enjoys the foibles of Mrs Sparsit Of the novels that we have read so far, this has been the most socially engaged. In a depressed, polluted, exploitative – and imaginary – northern urban setting, Dickens sets the old wealth and the new entrepreneurs against the workers in the mill, the “Hands”. It has huge resonances for today. What could Dickens have drawn from the banking crisis, the speculation and dealing, the buying and selling of debt, the miss-selling of payment protection policies, the austerity drives, the debates on the purpose and styles of education of our own times? The banker, the educator, the well-connected young man on the make, the ill-educated young man pushed to the wrong career, the exploited workers, the struggling circus performers, the trade unionist, they’re all there and more.

And, as always with Dickens, there’s a good supply of “put-upon” wives, submissive daughters, orphaned or abandoned waifs with hearts of gold. And there is the wonderful character of Mrs Sparsit. Who but Dickens could have imagined her? She is introduced to us in Chapter 7 and in just two concise paragraphs we have her well- connected family background, her ill-fated marriage, her abrupt widowhood, her family feud and consequent but stubbornly determined self-reliance. “And here she was now, in her elderly days, with the Coriolanian style of nose and the dense black eyebrows which had captivated Sparsit, making Mr Bounderby ’s tea as he took his breakfast.” Her rather intriguing relationship with Bounderby is developed in several beautifully choreographed conversations. Each one of them a screenwriter’s dream – you would only have to lift them straight from the page – and they even have their own inbuilt actor’s notes: “Mrs Sparsit’s Coriolanian nose underwent a slight expansion of the nostrils, and her black eyebrows contracted as she took a sip of tea.” Throughout the novel we watch as Mrs Sparsit inadvertently sets up her own fall from grace.

Her scheming, self-interest brings about her downfall and how we relish seeing her soaked to the skin, crawling with caterpillars, rills running from her bonnet, her shoes squelching, as she spies on Louisa and Harthouse, plotting Louisa’s downfall and simply setting in motion the steps which lead to both her own and to Bounderby’s. In one of Dickens’ darker novels, she is an absolute joy. Lauren thinks Hard Times has contemporary relevance The Mitchell Classics Group really enjoyed Hard Times and generally thought it was more thought-provoking and harder-hitting than Dickens’ other novels. Yes, the humour, the pathos, the well-drawn character studies, the saintly heroines, the dastardly, conniving baddies, and yes, even the moral torment of most of the characters in some form or other are there, but these are all played out on an even darker and grimier scale. Hard Times is based in Coketown, an imaginary industrial town in the north of England at the height of the Industrial Revolution.

In this novel, Dickens attacks the rise of industry and its relentless pursuit of profit, and the de-humanisation of the people that work in the factories, the ‘Hands’. He also criticises an educational system that did not leave room for the humanity in the humanities. Facts and statistics were to replace compassion, generosity, good ol’ common sense, and generally what are considered Christian virtues, with references to Christianity and the bible sprinkled in both straight and ironic references throughout the novel. In the very beginning of the book, we meet Thomas Gradgrind, the headmaster of the school in Coketown, instructing the teacher, Mr. M’Choakumchild: " ‘Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life’…The speaker, and the schoolmaster, and the third grown person present, all backed a little, and swept with their eyes the inclined plane of little vessels, then and there arranged in order, ready to have imperial gallons of facts poured into them until they were full to the brim." Our book group found this novel to have contemporary relevance, and saw modern parallels for the issues that Dickens raised.

Dickens’ attack on Victorian industrialisation depicted on a local level and its subsequent pollution – environmental and, arguably human – along with the debate on what was to be taught in schools were seen to have strong correlations to issues of the 21st century, with its debate on large-scale problems such as the global expansion of industry and its effects on global warming, and the quality and standard of our ‘modern’ educational systems. And yes, in the end the baddies receive their comeuppance, the ‘morally challenged’ live to regret their mistakes and the good-hearted are rewarded (mostly), but the happy ending in the lighter hues and pinks of Dickens’ other works is not to be found here, and with such heavy subject matter, we believe it gives these heavy issues their proper due. Matthew considers social changes This novel appears to be Dickens’ attempt at addressing the huge changes taking place, both industrial and social. People were moving off the land into the emerging cities, ‘Coketown’ could be Manchester, or Sheffield, and to meet the demands of a growing labour force they were housed in poor and unsanitary housing developments within the cities.

Thomas Gradgrind, extolling that everything can be explained by facts, facts, facts, has echoes of Charles Darwin’s (1809-82) theory of ‘Natural Selection’. Later in the novel with Louisa, in an unhappy marriage to Bounderby, and his son embroiled in gambling and robbery, Gradgrind is forced to recognise the value of human emotions, and starts to re-appraise his former values. The change in Gradgrind’s values may be due to the author taking note of his readership, who would be mainly the new emerging middle class, many would be wealthy, through industry and manufacturing, but were embracing the morality and temperance associated with Christian values of the Victorian era. With the expansion of the British Empire, countries such as Africa would have its missionaries such as David Livingstone (1813-73) carrying the Christian message. In spite of its title, Hard Times is not a hard-hitting, or political novel. Unusual for Dickens, he uses a female character, Sissy Jupe, the circus artiste, to convey a well-balanced and sensible attitude to life; compared to her Louisa is the dutiful and selfless daughter making little imprint.

Some of the characters are a reshuffle of previous types: # Mr. Bounderby – could be Mr. Bumble in ‘Oliver Twist’ # Tom Gradgrind – could be Monks from ‘Oliver Twist’ # Stephen Blackpool, a weaver, who knows his place in society therefore poses no threat to his employers – could be Joe the Blacksmith from Great Expectations Dickens is observing the social and industrial changes taking place in mid-Victorian Britain but leaves the reader to form their own political opinions on the situation. Get involved Share your own thoughts on Hard Times by adding a comment to this blog. Or get in touch with us to tell us if your reading group is discovering Dickens. Remember to watch out for our Dickens Champions’ blog posts as they read and review their way through Dickens during 2012.

Charles Dickens & Hard Times - First thoughts about Charles Dickens & Hard Times 19 Apr 2013 19:06 Just ordered 'Hard Times' by Charles Dickens and 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller from my book-wish list :)) 26 Mar 2013 21:26 I can now say I've literally been bored to sleep thanks to Hard Times by Charles Dickens! 27 Jan 2013 16:10 Treasures I came across yesterday:a very special edition of Hard Times by Charles Dickens in green cover with small horses on it and . 10 Dec 2012 01:23 I swear Charles Dickens was made to torment lives with Hard Times 08 Dec 2012 19:41 I was just asked if I had to read Charles Dickens' "Hard Times" in my American Lit class. 08 Dec 2012 12:47 âThere is a wisdom of the head, and...

there is a wisdom of the heart.â â Charles Dickens, Hard Times 08 Dec 2012 12:47 âThere was a piece of ornamental water immediately below the parapet, on the other side, into which Mr. James Harthouse had a very strong inclination to pitch Mr.

Thomas Gradgrind Junior.â â Charles Dickens, Hard Times 08 Dec 2012 12:46 âThe last trumpet ever to be sounded shall blow even algebra to wreck.â â Charles Dickens, Hard Times 06 Dec 2012 17:43 Hard Times by Charles dickens: Key Facts - full title Â· Hard Times for These Times author Â· Charles Dickens type of work Â· Novel genre Â· Victorian novel; realist novel; satire; dystopia language Â· English time and place written Â· 1854, London date of first publication Â· Published in serial installments in Dickensâs magazine Household Words between April 1 and August 12, 1854 publisher Â· Charles Dickens narrator Â· The anonymous narrator serves as a moral authority. By making moral judgments about the characters, the narrator shapes our interpretations of the novel. point of view Â· The narrator speaks in the third person and has a limited omniscience.

He knows what is going on in all places and at all times, but he sometimes speculates about what the characters might be feeling and thinking, suggesting, at those times, that he does not actually know. tone Â· The narratorâs tone varies drastically, but it is frequently ironic, mocking, and even satirical, especially when he describ ... 07 Nov 2012 10:00 Plot summary: Hard Times, by Charles Dickens - by Alex Storey - Helium 21 Sep 2012 14:16 Hard Times (Longman Cultural Edition) by Charles Dickens: Longman's new Cultural Editions Series, Hard Times, by Charles Dickens, edited by Jeff Nunokawa, includes Books 1-3 of Hard Times and contextual materials on the age of Dickens... 15 Sep 2012 12:56 160 years ago, Charles Dickens wrote "Hard Times". If he was in Egypt now, it would have been "Very, Very, Extremely Interesting Times". 12 Sep 2012 04:43 "Now,what I want is,Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts.

Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts:nothing else will ever be of service to them.This is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts,sir/madam. "Charles Dickens,Hard Times. 10 Sep 2012 11:07 Household Words ---this is a weekly edited by Charles Dickens and among works published in it were Dicken's novel Hard Times. 06 Sep 2012 11:40 Check out this great item: Hard Times by Charles Dickens & Cliff Notes 05 Sep 2012 16:38 Does anyone in New York have a copy of "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens that I could borrow, please?

01 Sep 2012 04:53 Mr Thomas Gradgrind is the notorious headmaster in Dickens's novel Hard Times who is dedicated to the pursuit of profitable enterprise.[1] His name is now used generically to refer to someone who is hard and only concerned with cold facts and numbers.[2] 31 Aug 2012 15:24 An extract from the excellent BBC adaption of Hard Times by Charles Dickens. 31 Aug 2012 13:17 I am reminded of the character in Charles Dickens's book Hard Times, Gradgrind, who admonishes a younger teacher: "Now, what I want is,...

31 Aug 2012 13:04 "now it's time to watch Hard Times by David Copperfield ...wait, Charles Dickens, I just love David Copperfield " 25 Aug 2012 19:58 Currently also selling the hard copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (includes also Hard Times, A Christmas Carol , and A Tale of 18 Aug 2012 20:29 2 of 5 stars to Hard Times by Charles Dickens 02 Aug 2012 12:14 I have to finish reading these two novels by next week...if not im screwd!!!:-(: Jane Austen 's 'Pride and Prejudice' and Charles Dicken's 'Hard Times' 29 Jul 2012 03:58 Hard Times by Charles Dickens is absolutely the worst book I've ever attempted to read. 29 Jul 2012 02:06 Hard Times (Bantam Classics) (Mass Market Paperback): Written deliberately to increase the circulation of Dicken...

29 Jul 2012 02:06 Hard Times - 1st Edition (Paperback): This story of class conflict in Victorian England serves as a powerful cri... 18 Jun 2012 22:48 Life and Times of Fredrick Douglas an Autobiography, Hard Times by Charles Dickens, Night by Eli Wiesel 16 Jun 2012 12:53 It is quite difficult to write about the novels written by Charles Dickens, as you have to be one among the thousands of people who have done the job earlier. It is quite surprising that the master writer like Charles Dickens who wrote novels like 'Hard Times' and ' Great Expectations ' turned on the ... 16 Jun 2012 04:26 "It was a town of red brick, or of brick that would have been red if the smoke and ashes had allowed it; but as matters stood, it was a town of unnatural red and black like the painted face of a savage. It was a town of machinery and tall chimneys, out of which interminable serpents of smoke trailed themselves for ever and ever, and never got uncoiled.

It had a black canal in it, and a river that ran purple with ill-smelling dye, and vast piles of building full of windows where there was a rattling and a trembling all day long, and where the piston of the steam-engine worked monotonously up and down, like the head of an elephant in a state of melancholy madness." --from Hard Times, by Charles Dickens. A fine meditation on the power of the passive voice. 15 Jun 2012 21:39 4 novel dah dhabiskan cuti ni. 1. Ten thousand saints by Eleanor Handerson. 2. Hard Times by Charles Dickens. 3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee . 4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen . Looking forward to the next one: East of Eden by John Steinback! 28 May 2012 17:17 My favourite literature by Charles Dickens starts with the words Facts, Facts, Facts (Hard Times). Nowadays it's Statistics, Statistics, Statistics!! Another bloody boring college based questionnaire which is a waste of time and makes no sense. Really fed up of all this crap!!!

18 May 2012 22:44 Hard Times: Hard Times - For These Times (commonly known as Hard Times) is the tenth novel by Charles Dickens, f... 30 Apr 2012 20:16 Tales for Hard Times: A Story about Charles Dickens (Creative Minds Biography): Follows the life and works of th... 29 Apr 2012 09:45 The wide expanse of Dickens' novel on the riches and hardships of the Industrial Revolution is triumphantly brought to life in his skillful adaptation of Hard Times for a cast of four. Three principal players from the celebrated Salem Repertory Theatre reunite as CoHo's co-producers. The New York Ti...

Question: The notorious headmaster 'Thomas Gradgrind' appears in which Dickens novel?
Answer: 'HARD TIMES'